1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computing systems and, more particularly, to management of utilization of computing resources by resource users.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to implement various business functions, many enterprises employ a substantial degree of computing infrastructure, including data storage systems, computer systems, networking and communications equipment, client hardware, etc. For example, an enterprise may deploy a substantial amount of computing resources to implement databases and applications configured to store and process data relating to inventory and catalogs, manufacturing, finance/accounting, customers, ordering, and/or any other business function pertinent to the enterprise.
In many instances, computing resources may be provisioned according to the maximum expected resource workload for a given quality of service. For example, the ability of the enterprise to receive and process customer orders placed via the internet may depend on computing resources such as internet communication bandwidth into the enterprise and available computing and storage capacity to process orders. The enterprise may wish to assure that delay experienced by customers during ordering is maintained below a certain level even during periods of high customer order volume. Correspondingly, the enterprise may provision bandwidth, computing and storage capacity associated with the ordering system according to the peak level of expected ordering activity.
However, demand for computing resources may be highly variable. For example, customer activity may follow cyclical patterns over the course of a given 24-hour period, depending on customer demographics and geography. Further, customer activity may exhibit seasonal variation or long-term trends. Additionally, demand may vary due to random or singular events. If computing resources are provisioned according to certain maximum expectations of demand, such resources may be relatively idle during periods when demand is less than the maximum. Depending on the overall pattern of demand, this may lead to significantly inefficient use of computing resources.